Hawks need to lose today. I hate the preds, but a loss means we draft 10 instead of 13...
- RedRevenge

The Hawks would also need Minnesota (at least 1) and Phily (2 points) to pick up points to pass the Hawks in the standings in order for them to move into the 10th draft position.

My Wife, my Son and I were watching Patrick Sharp’s last game, hoping for a Blackhawks’ win. We had always loved Sharpie in a Blackhawks’ uniform and we would miss him. It was April 6, 2018, just an average day.

However, in a single moment everything changed. Sharp’s last game and the Blackhawks’ performance would simply drift away. I will never forget the moment my Wife quietly said “The Humboldt Broncos’ bus was involved in a serious accident”. From that moment on we wanted to know everything. How serious an accident was it? Did people get hurt, did people die? We did not know we were entering a nightmare that would be impossible to wake up from.

Events like this do not place on a catastrophe scale. They begin at the highest possible level and they live there. The more details we learned, the more photos and video we saw, the worse the tragedy became.

The Humboldt Broncos were travelling to a play-off game against the Nipawin Hawks, in Nipiwan, Saskatchewan. Where had the accident happened? North of Tisdale on Highway 35.

This could not be true. We didn’t live in this area of Saskatchewan but we knew it very well. It was a magical area for our Family. A Disneyland for us. Humboldt was surrounded by lakes and was a wonderful community. Tisdale was where we stopped to eat before driving the last miles to Nipiwan, which is the gateway to Tobin Lake. Until this night it was impossible for us to think of Humboldt, Tisdale and Nipiwan and not smile. This area is where we vacationed, where we fished, where we were our best selves, free for a short while from the stressors of Law and University.

We found out we had driven many times, on the very route the bus of the Humboldt Broncos had travelled. Past the very intersection. The saying “If not for the grace of God walk I” was on all our minds.

However, what was most on our minds, what was the most saddening for us, was our knowledge that if we were feeling the grief we were, it was incomprehensible to us the grief that the family and friends were experiencing. Simply incomprehensible.

The Province of Saskatchewan was devastated. As was Canada. As was the United States. Truly everywhere in the World that this story travelled to, it left people in tears. This was not just a hockey story. However, anyone with some connection to hockey was simply crushed.

This was not a story from some other place, where distance provides a buffer. “That couldn’t happen here” was simply not applicable. Rather these were young men just like young men we all knew. Young men deserving of their parents’ pride just like young men we all knew.

Stories came out about just how special these young men were. How nice, how polite, simply how decent. The stories made it even harder to imagine that certain of these young men were hurt, some very severely and that others were actually gone.

It has been an entire year since this tragic accident. The Humboldt Broncos have actually completed another entire season, losing a play-off series in a game 7. Two of their players were survivors of the bus accident.

During 2018 our Family simply could not return to our beloved, special area, our Disneyland. We simply could not drive past that intersection. However, there was no possible way we could take a different route either, as that would be disrespectful. It may be true that time heals but there are times when that healing is very slow. Please say a special Anniversary prayer today, on April 6, 2019, for those lost, those who survived and the Families and Friends that loved and love them.
- Z3Hawk

Amazing post, Z! A very sad day for all of those affected by that tragedy. I had forgotten what day that happened on. My thoughts and prayers go out today to those families and friends of those lost. I'm sure around the league, everyone will do something.

*NEW* blog up: https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=98773

My Wife, my Son and I were watching Patrick Sharp’s last game, hoping for a Blackhawks’ win. We had always loved Sharpie in a Blackhawks’ uniform and we would miss him. It was April 6, 2018, just an average day.

However, in a single moment everything changed. Sharp’s last game and the Blackhawks’ performance would simply drift away. I will never forget the moment my Wife quietly said “The Humboldt Broncos’ bus was involved in a serious accident”. From that moment on we wanted to know everything. How serious an accident was it? Did people get hurt, did people die? We did not know we were entering a nightmare that would be impossible to wake up from.

Events like this do not place on a catastrophe scale. They begin at the highest possible level and they live there. The more details we learned, the more photos and video we saw, the worse the tragedy became.

The Humboldt Broncos were travelling to a play-off game against the Nipawin Hawks, in Nipiwan, Saskatchewan. Where had the accident happened? North of Tisdale on Highway 35.

This could not be true. We didn’t live in this area of Saskatchewan but we knew it very well. It was a magical area for our Family. A Disneyland for us. Humboldt was surrounded by lakes and was a wonderful community. Tisdale was where we stopped to eat before driving the last miles to Nipiwan, which is the gateway to Tobin Lake. Until this night it was impossible for us to think of Humboldt, Tisdale and Nipiwan and not smile. This area is where we vacationed, where we fished, where we were our best selves, free for a short while from the stressors of Law and University.

We found out we had driven many times, on the very route the bus of the Humboldt Broncos had travelled. Past the very intersection. The saying “If not for the grace of God walk I” was on all our minds.

However, what was most on our minds, what was the most saddening for us, was our knowledge that if we were feeling the grief we were, it was incomprehensible to us the grief that the family and friends were experiencing. Simply incomprehensible.

The Province of Saskatchewan was devastated. As was Canada. As was the United States. Truly everywhere in the World that this story travelled to, it left people in tears. This was not just a hockey story. However, anyone with some connection to hockey was simply crushed.

This was not a story from some other place, where distance provides a buffer. “That couldn’t happen here” was simply not applicable. Rather these were young men just like young men we all knew. Young men deserving of their parents’ pride just like young men we all knew.

Stories came out about just how special these young men were. How nice, how polite, simply how decent. The stories made it even harder to imagine that certain of these young men were hurt, some very severely and that others were actually gone.

It has been an entire year since this tragic accident. The Humboldt Broncos have actually completed another entire season, losing a play-off series in a game 7. Two of their players were survivors of the bus accident.

During 2018 our Family simply could not return to our beloved, special area, our Disneyland. We simply could not drive past that intersection. However, there was no possible way we could take a different route either, as that would be disrespectful. It may be true that time heals but there are times when that healing is very slow. Please say a special Anniversary prayer today, on April 6, 2019, for those lost, those who survived and the Families and Friends that loved and love them.
- Z3Hawk

Very moving tribute. Thank you for sharing.

https://twitter.com/nhl/s.../1114513247560925184?s=21

Defencemen are a precious commodity and most of them you think about holding on to, or even adding another.

We have three whom Colliton has been rotating and it doesn't cost much or in other words they are affordable. Retaining their service as compared to finding replacements? Keep them around until some prospects can step up. Who knows Forsling, Dahlback and Koekkoek might actually improve.

Btw how did Koekkoek look last night?

Anyone else making it to the game tonight?